Enter: Lincoln Parish’s two unversity programs.
When Louisiana Tech and Grambling State officially unveil their list of 2006 signees on Wednesday—that’s the first day of the NCAA’s highly anticipated signing period, there will be a heavy emphasis on in-state players.
Of the 27 verbal commitments or junior college signees for the Bulldogs through Monday, 12 hailed from within the Bayou State.
And of that number, seven call north Louisiana their home.

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They have little less than four months left.
I sat down with site manager Michael Rogers and studio manager Christal Beach last week to discuss the progress the students were making on the house, and Rogers uttered the following sentences that very much startled me:
“Roughly, we spend about 20 hours a week working, and that’s the minimum for most people. Some people treat this as their full-time job or full-time class and spend 40 hours a week out there. Most of us fall between those two.”

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We’ve waited — very patiently — as we heard rumors galore about a much-needed addition to Ruston. Many believed the day would never come.
Now the outer structure is nearly complete. In the span of a week, the theater’s walls went from being nonexistent to being erected and in place on its lot behind McKinney Honda off the North Service Road.
After trying times, we now have tangible proof that Celebrity Theatre will arrive in Ruston. It is only a matter of time now.

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“We’re hoping to have the ribbon cutting on that morning (before graduation), said Michael Rogers, the site manager for this project. “It’s been raining here a lot lately, and it gets a little frustrating. We do have a set schedule. We will be graduating on May 20, and this house will be finished.”
The house is for Tech employee April Austin and her four children, three girls and one boy with ages ranging from four years old to nine years old.

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January 30th

With a 71-60 victory over Fresno State at the Thomas Assembly Center on Saturday night, the Techsters (14-4, 6-1) moved into a share of the No. 1 slot
in the league with that team.
“Right now, it means first place, but there’s a lot of basketball to be played and it means being ready the next time we play,” said Tech coach Chris Long.
“We’ve got two big road games (at Nevada Thursday, at Utah State Saturday) in the conference coming up this week, so we’ll enjoy this win and then get ready for those games.”

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Entering last week, the Lady Techsters were sitting in third place in the WAC at 4-1 — uncharacteristic for one of women’s basketball’s most legendary programs. But after two games in the Thomas Assembly Center, those Techsters were back on top of the standings — a place where they are accustomed to being.
The Techsters dominated previously unbeaten San Jose State 74-51 on Thursday night and came back two nights later to withstand a furious rally from first-place Fresno State and hold onto a 70-61 win — and avenge their only WAC loss this year.

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I heard from a very old friend — and had lunch with another old friend and his wife, giving me a chance to catch up on old times and reminisce about some great memories from yesteryear.
A little more than a week ago, I received an e-mail (after no contact for more than seven months, other than sending out wedding invitations) from Erik Boyle, a former Ruston resident who is living in Utah.
Erik and I met while students at Ruston Junior High School shortly after I moved to Ruston in seventh grade. That summer we played baseball together and began to become close friends.

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The external audit, called for by GSU President Horace Judson after allegations of misappropriation of funds from alumni and former employees, was authorized by the UL System.
“The auditor has completed the review and we are waiting for results,” Clausen said.
GSU National Alumni Association President James Bradford said he did not learn of the audit until it had been completed.

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January 29th

Louisiana Tech University took care of that situation at the Thomas Assembly Center night, racing past Fresno State 70-61 in front of a noisy and pumped up crowd of 4,102.
Not only did Fresno State (14-5, 6-1) suffer their first defeat within the league, but the Techsters (14-4, 6-1) also moved into the No. 1 position in the standings by virtue of the win.

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One of the CFL’s all-time most successful and popular players while excelling at quarterback for six different franchises will be one of five new inductees into the Hall of Fame.
He’ll be joined by players Allen Pitts, Bobby Jurasin and Henry “Gizmo” Williams and administrator/official Victor Spencer.

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